Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Middle East and North Africa	I need more education on halal foods	I'd almost say you should have your husband do research as to what's acceptable, but I'm coming to think that scholars from "back home" don't really understand the food situation here in the US. If he is takes the opinion that only meat slaughtered in a particular way is ok for him to eat, and he's ok with vegetarian and sea food options when that meat is scarce, then don't push him to eat supermarket meat. I have a bunch of good vegetarian cooking resources, if you're looking to expand your repetoire re: your family, I've found that it's simpler to say that you'll (he'll) be eating vegetarian, rather then to nit pick over no pork, only zabiha (slaughtered islamically) meat, etc etc etc. It's not too hard to pick up a can of vegetarian baked beans, some potato salad sans bacon and a box of veggie burgers to bring along to a cookout if they're not accomidating to his food choices. for those interested in the grocery store meat vs. zabiha debate here's: *Qaradawi's ruling in his book "The Lawful and Prohibited in Islam" that allows supermarket meat to be eaten *A response to Qaradawi's fatwa saying supermarket meat is in fact not halal	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-02-11 09:16:00
Middle East and North Africa	MENA pet party	bumpin for more pet talk! Squeaky is still the (feline) love of my life. I swear, every day I love that kitty more and more. Except when it's 3 am and she decides it's time to bag box (ie punch the stuffing out of the bag filled with paper for recycling). She's a chunky little monkey, but AbuS won't let me call her my big fat kitty. He says it's mean Since we're limited to a single cat by apartment regulations, I'm inshaAllah going to start volunteering at a local no kill shelter. It will also get me out of the house, so AbuS and I have less opportunity to get on each other's nerves	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-10-06 14:36:00
Middle East and North Africa	MENA pet party	What adorable kittehs *huggles them all* and cute puppies too Squeaky is addicted to da bird. It's seriously kitty crack. No matter where I am, she'll come and wack my leg, look at me with pleading eyes and then turn around, run at top speed to the closet where I keep it and meow until I get it out. She's only had it for 2 weeks and she's already torn one feather off. Good thing they sell refills. She didn't much care for the other feather on a string toys she's had in the past, so I'm happy to see she enjoys this one. For a fat cat (she's 12 lbs), she gets some serious air time. Here's my pudge-a-licious kitty playing with her kong kickaroo. She's not as anamoured with this toy	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-06-10 07:49:00
Middle East and North Africa	MENA pet party	In case you haven't figured it out yet, I am the ummie (mommy) to one very large, very squishy, very meowy kitty. I had a cat when I was very little, but nothing other then a bird and a few rodents for most of my childhood. I had planned on adopting a kitty once AbuS arrived, but circumstances kept putting it off. Finally, after much harrassment on my part, AbuS relented. Early one snowy morning in December 2008, I trekked to the local humane society. "Mitze" was the second cat I looked at, and she stole my heart right from the get go. She was outgoing, friendly and very cuddly. I put a hold on her and promised to bring AbuS back the next day to meet her. Alas, the next morning, it was snowing up a storm. AbuS absolutely refused to go out. I begged and pleaded and finally he caved. Alhamdulilah he did, because Mitzie stole his heart as well. When we brought her home, we could not agree on a name, so she was simply "Kitty" for the first few weeks. I eventually got frustrated and unilaterally named her Squeaky. She's talkative and when she jumps out of your arms, she makes a little squeak as she hits the floor. AbuS had a bit of trouble adjusting to her. She is a very very vocal kitty. AbuS had cats when he was young, but they were apparently all quiet kitties. She would frequently wake us up at night. Alhamdulilah though, she eventually quieted down and has AbuS wrapped around her little paws. He still is not a big fan of how much I spend on her. She's one spoiled kitty and she'd be even more spoiled if he wasn't putting his foot down on the budget. Overall, after a rough start, we're doing well as a family now. Like our relationship, it took it's time to hit it's stride, but now AbuS's face lights up whenever she runs to him and my heart goes pitty pat when she meets me at the door after work. First Day home - I love her kitty tocks: Amazing how much joy a simple paper bag can bring - more than any toy I buy sprawl kitty hanging out with us on her throne next to the computer	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-06-09 12:34:00
Middle East and North Africa	MENA pet party	Because I'm absolutely obsessed with my kitty and will find any excuse to talk about her, I present: the MENA pet party Post your pictures, cute stories, frustrations and whatnot here! Share your joys and bumps as your SO adjusts to your pets.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-06-09 12:24:00
Middle East and North Africa	Happy Tuesday MENA!!	AbuS has yet to learn to drive. All ya'll who taught your husbands, you have my admiration. Me, I'm getting him driving lessons as an anniversary gift and inshaAllah his friends will follow through on their promises to help him practice. No way in heck am I teaching anyone to drive! It would bring out my mother in me and that's something I want to keep well buried as long as possible.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-10-06 14:42:00
Middle East and North Africa	converting - or not	QUOTE Anyway, if anyone would like to tell about their conversion - or not converting - please do so. Feel free to tell why you did or didn't - what led you to your decision. I have something of my conversion process at my blog. It's an ever evolving and changing narrative as I time passes and I reflect more on it. QUOTE If you did convert, do you have any information you'd like to add - where, when, how you converted? For example, some might have done it very informally, maybe others had some type of ceremony? I'm just really curious - and this is something I've been thinking about quite a bit lately. There really wasn't anything too official about it - 2 witnesses, la ilaha il Allah, Muhammadur rasul Allah. I got a conversion certificate from Al Azhar a few years later that made it all official on paper in case the saudi government ever asked for proof of my conversion when I want to make hajj/umrah. Beyond that, it's been a long and interesting road that still takes me new and exciting places.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-09-29 15:48:00
Middle East and North Africa	finding a job	QUOTE (*Maureen* @ Oct 5 2009, 07:27 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You know, x-mas is approaching and maybe there's a good chance he can get hired for at least x-mas help. It can be a foot in the door. Maybe it would be a good idea to put another application at some retail shops. Crossing my fingers for you Amanda and hoping some good things come out for you. Fedex and UPS hire a lot of temp workers during the holidays. It isn't full time and it doesn't pay very much, but it gets the foot in the door experience wise. One thing that AbuS did that got him his job was working an internship in his chosen profession. Literally, that's what did it. He got experience to put on his resume, and good recommendation from his supervisor, which were the lynchpins in the the whole process.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-10-05 11:50:00
Middle East and North Africa	finding a job	Yeah, I won't even go into AbuS' job wohs, but they continue, and continue, and continue. But, along the way, he's gotten a lot of experience with job interview, resume writing and cover letters. If the OP's husband wants to chat with mine, just email me - ummsqueakster at gmail dot com.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-10-05 09:47:00
Middle East and North Africa	Aid al-Adha - Sacrificing Sheep in US?	We go through Islamic Relief and have our udhiya done in a different country each year. For some reason, their site isn't opening up right now for me One thing that I think is good about this "primitive" custom, especially if you do it yourself, is that it connects us with what we eat. In today's world of supermarkets, where meat comes in precleaned indistinguishable chunks, it's easy to lose the sense that what we're eating was once a living and breathing creature that we have been given for our sustinance. When we see them alive, we can be thankful for the sacrifice and the blessings. I've been thinking a lot about our seperation from the agrarian lifestyle, and I guess this just fits right in. Of course, being a farmer wasn't easy or fun (as I've learned from hearing my dad and his siblings talk about life growing up on the farm). It was a lot of hard work, and when you experience part of it, it can make you more grateful for what you have. Edited by UmmSqueakster, 13 October 2009 - 08:19 AM.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-10-13 08:15:00
Middle East and North Africa	Quiz: Muslim style	Of course, I'll just wait until fall when they go on sale Rahma, do the prices go down a lot when they are on sale.. cause they are kinda pricey ..but oh soooo cute!! I am trying to break away from wearing my just plain black abaya's..they make me feel so old.. They usually get to be about half price, maybe more. I never buy anything from them until it's below $30. All of my skirts are from there, and even the ones I've had for 3 years that I've washed a million times still look pretty good. What kind of shoes do u usually wear with ur abaya's or skirts? I wear puma's or the low top skechers. Thanks for the cool pics and links.. Either sneakers on Fridays or my danskos every other day of the week. I don't wear abayas much anymore since I got out of college. I'm mainly a skirt girl now.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2007-02-08 09:12:00
Middle East and North Africa	Quiz: Muslim style	[img] All of them are nice, but I like the lst one the best! Rahma: Aaaaaaaaah posting the new Shukr fashions.... I like the first pattern on the first dress Jp: why its just for fun From Turkey, can't buy it online Edited by rahma, 07 February 2007 - 03:04 PM.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2007-02-07 15:03:00
Middle East and North Africa	Quiz: Muslim style	I haven't gotten anything from silk route (yet), but my friend has and she loves it. Oooooooo, spring designs in from Shukr!!!! Of course, I'll just wait until fall when they go on sale Edited by rahma, 07 February 2007 - 02:33 PM.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2007-02-07 14:32:00
Middle East and North Africa	Quiz: Muslim style	Multicultural International Nisa You love to try new things, eat new dishes, learn new languages and travel. You submerge in different cultures and you can tell. Modest Stylish Sis You love nice colors with a plain design, you also like to match things up. You keep your colors and designs modest and all the sisters want to build a wardrobe like yours. Mysteriously Modest and Hip Sis You have an allure about you and people would love to be in your head and know what you are thinking you have a unique style. But you only hint with one thing at a time like you bag or shoes. you are extra modest so you leave a lot for the imagination http://www.simplyisl....asp?item=57834 Beautiful Bashful Relaxful Muslimah You like to be relaxed and neet you have style and you do a good job at covering it as much as you can. May Allah reward you Ameen. http://www.simplyisl....asp?item=57584 Beautifully Modest Bint You love pretty colors, fabric, and embroidery, but you keep it modest. your style is universal but you like to keep covered more and you love the look of the abiyahs. A navy blue Afgani Abiyah allows you to be pretty, yet modest, and comfy. May Allah reward you for you modesty and may it easy on you Ameen. I don't see many (any) people wearing burqas.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2007-02-07 10:54:00
Middle East and North Africa	Quiz: Muslim style	An Nisatul Suburbia You dress for picnics and interviews at the same time and yet still comfy. The sisters secretly love what you have on. Urban Muslimah You keep it modest and real enough said hehehehe! http://www.simplyisl....asp?item=57590 Metro Muslimah Rather it be running to the mall, dropping the kids off, making, dinner, going to work or the market, you are being modest and you wear something that can keep up with your hectic life and withstand the test of time. You look for sales yet still throw it on! Go-getter Sister! You are business minded and you hijab has power player written all over it.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2007-02-07 10:49:00
Middle East and North Africa	Quiz: Muslim style	Meh, I quibble with her choices of pictures to represent each style. Here are my own nominees: Islamic Diva Everyone want to know who made you hijab. you are fresh to death but be careful not to over do it with your ideas. Elegant Muslimah Everyone respects elegance you never know who you will see so your always at your best. you are a Boss or you look like you could be someones boss. classy Ukhti You're well groomed and ready for any event in your hijab. just stay modest with it! Yasminah Muslimah! You love pink and flowers and soft, delicate fabrics. You love being a girl and it shows.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2007-02-07 10:45:00
Middle East and North Africa	Quiz: Muslim style	Beautiful Bashful Relaxful MuslimahYou like to be relaxed and neet you have style and you do a good job at covering it as much as you can. May Allah reward you Ameen. Take this quiz! http://www.quizilla....w.quizilla.com/" target="_blank">Quizilla	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2007-02-07 09:20:00
Middle East and North Africa	The First Year...	Also - yes, it does suck and yes, it can get better but only if you *both* realize that a) you didn't marry an american B ) he didn't marry a woman from backhomelandia c) you've gotta meet somewhere in the middle and you *both* have to work on it Of course, if he's happy becoming an american, or you're happy becoming a woman from backhomelandia, then great, I'm happy for you. But, even if you try that, there will still be some underlying cultural tensions. Edited by UmmSqueakster, 12 October 2009 - 03:49 PM.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-10-12 15:48:00
Middle East and North Africa	The First Year...	Has AbuS really one of the MENA SOs here the longest? My keys to a healthy relationship that only took me 4 years and 9 days to figure out: *Eat dinner together a few nights a week, if not every night *Cook breakfast together on the weekends *adopt a pet you both like and then smother him/her with love *Watch a tv show or movie together at least once a week *Watch a documentary together and discuss *Read a book together and discuss *Find common interests and keep talking about them *Go for walks at least once a week *Turn off the TV and computer, especially if you find that one of you is on the tv and the other is on the computer *Set long term financial goals along with a concrete plan of how to reach them, and then work together to make it happen *Get out of the house and have some alone time each week, especially if you're both homebodies. Volunteering is good. I'm starting at a cat shelter (of course) and AbuS is looking into Big Brother, Big Sister.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-10-12 15:41:00
Middle East and North Africa	Egypt - Race for the Cure	QUOTE (ya fallaha! @ Oct 26 2009, 11:30 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Oh gosh, yes! There's tons to see other than pyramids, actually the pyramids aren't even the best part. I've only been to Alex and Cairo as far as bigger cities go but there's Luxor, Sharm el Sheik, Aswan, Sinai, Marsa Matruh, etc. I prefer Alex to Cairo but Cairo obviously has more to see. Cairo has the pyramids in Giza, Egypt museum, military museum, Sala'adin's citadel, Khan el Khalili (awesome bazaar), various mosques that are gorgeous inside and out, various other monuments, etc. Alex has the other citadel of Qaitbey, abu al Abbas al Muris mosque (gorgeous!), Alexandria museum, various beaches on the Meditteranean (sp), the Corniche, Montaza Palace gardens, Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa, Graeco Roman museum, etc. QUOTE (Sandrila @ Oct 26 2009, 11:58 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I saw that on the news last night as we were trying on my daughter's Cleopatra costume. i was wondering...is there anything else good to see in Egypt besides the pyramids?? I've only been in Cairo (and Mahalla el Kubra where AbuS is from) when I've gone, and there are still a billion things I haven't seen even in that one city, not even counting the oodles of things to see elsewhere. It's great fun to explore and get lost in all the history. Just don't be suprised if you sneeze black for a month afterwards.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-10-26 11:40:00
Middle East and North Africa	Minnesota MENA Mini-Meet Up, anyone?	Hmm, I think Terrie was definitly planning to come with her husband (helloooooo, terrie?), so I see 2 options: 1. Everyone's husbands who are here come and we send them off to do something manly together (maybe if anyone has a video game system, we could set it up at our apartment and they could play video games all day and cuddle with ma kitteh, because real men love cats), and we all meet later for dinner together. Gals can sit together and the guys can sit at a seperate table. 2. If just Kamal comes up with Terrie, we send AbuS and Kamal off to do something together, although AbuS doesn't drive, so they might be limited to where they can go by bus.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-10-27 09:29:00
Middle East and North Africa	Minnesota MENA Mini-Meet Up, anyone?	I'll check with AbuS, but we'll probably do what we usually do and donate through islamic relief to have it done in another country. I don't see a link to it on their new website though that worries me I'll actually be in central wisconsin for eid. Alhamdulilah there's actually a masjid there now, about an hour away from my parents' house, so instead of spending black friday in line at a store, inshaAllah i'll be able to make it to eid prayer.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-10-26 11:39:00
Middle East and North Africa	Minnesota MENA Mini-Meet Up, anyone?	K, how bout we set something up for the coming month? Amera mentioned needing to hit the halal meat markets here in the TC, so I thought let's just get everyone together for a big ol get together. I just realized I'm a bit busy in the coming weekends (baby shower next weekend for a friend, cat shelter volunteer training in 2 weeks, usually I spend all weekend sitting at home doing nothing, so that's suprising). Looking at my calendar, the 14th and 15th and 21st and 22nd are still free. The weekend after that is Thanksgiving/Eid, so that's already booked. Then we get into December, which may not be fun for people to drive into town.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-10-26 10:05:00
Middle East and North Africa	Minnesota MENA Mini-Meet Up, anyone?	So Sharifah and I had a blast this Friday, and Tariq is beyond adorable. It's a good thing we didn't have a big meet up though, since I spent a lot of the weekend at work. I need date suggestions for our meetup peeps!	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-10-12 15:42:00
Middle East and North Africa	Minnesota MENA Mini-Meet Up, anyone?	Had to scrape the ice off my car this morning and what's that in the forcast for tonight? Is it snow? Terrie and I talked last night, and we're thinking a get together for late October/early November? That way people a bit further away can plan on coming. What weekend works well?	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-10-09 07:22:00
Middle East and North Africa	Minnesota MENA Mini-Meet Up, anyone?	snow? That's already in the forecast for this weekend I don't know if AbuS is up to getting together, but I'll see. Would it be possible to do a girl's only weekend, and then get the guys together at a later date?	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-10-08 13:28:00
Middle East and North Africa	Minnesota MENA Mini-Meet Up, anyone?	Cold? What is this cold of which you speak. We're still above 0! http://www.halfpricebooks.com/ I'm hoping I can get close to completed my Star Wars paperback collection	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-10-08 13:14:00
Middle East and North Africa	Minnesota MENA Mini-Meet Up, anyone?	Nothing's saying we can't get together again at a later date as well, inshaAllah. Terrie, if you're not up to it this weekend, there's always the huge half priced booksale next weekend. I'm going to be all over that one We're having Pakistani food, in case that entices anyone else to join us. Time to break out the biryani dance, although I will refrain from singing my biryani song Edited by UmmSqueakster, 08 October 2009 - 08:19 AM.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-10-08 08:17:00
Middle East and North Africa	LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR RED FLAGS	I met my then 24 year old future husband when I was 20 year old college student. But then, I think I lacked the P in PYT Ah well, 8 years and a citizenship later, we're still annoying the stuffing out of one another each and every day. Love ya AbuS!	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-11-18 15:41:00
Middle East and North Africa	Egypt interview experiences?	What does this mean? Married Islamically but not legally? I was married the islamic way but our marriage is legal. What is the difference? Sorry to change the subject, but I am confused. In Egypt, for a foreigner to marry an Egyptian takes a ton of paperwork and lots of running around between different bueracratic agencies. It can take many weeks, and completely ruin what little time the two parties have with one another. For my husband and I, we did not want to live in an apartment together without being married. However, getting legally married was out of the question, since it took a lot of time, and would have meant that I would have lost my health insurance/financial support from my parents for school. So, we had a little nikkah, Islamic ceremony, with the witnesses, but without turning in the paper to the officials. We never mentioned this during the visa process, and ended up just fine. For us, it was a religious matter plus a time issue. However, it wasn't an orfi marriage, which is a growing problem in Egypt. Orfi marriages are also "religious" marriages without the legal strings attached. This allows bfs and gfs to hook up without feeling guilty, in secret. No one knows except the couple and the witnesses. The problem is that it leaves the women with no legal recourse if she gets pregnant and the man disavows their relationship. She's left with an illigitmate child, which in Egyptian society has very negative social stigma attached. Our religious marriage was made public to his friends and to his family. If I had ended up pregnant (I didn't, thank God), he couldn't have disowned me and the child since his family would have shamed him into taking care of us. I just want to say thank you so much to everyone for the support. I'm sitting here with tears streaming as I write this. I love Mohammed so much and I miss him something terrible. This process is beyond stressful. It's nice to have a little "family" here who understands. No one who has not gone through this could possible relate. I just remind myself often "enshaa Allah". Thank you again. The visa process takes time. At first, I had a very difficult time with it, but as time wore on, I made the best of it. My dh and I had a relationship online for 4 years (plus a few real life visits) before he made it here on a visa. During that time, we talked about every possible subject under the sun, got to know each other really really well, and knew that the process we were going through was right. Take this time to write long letters to each other, chat for hours online, and just talk. Get to know your future husband. Hopefully, that will lead to less suprises once you're already together.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2006-02-03 12:34:00
Middle East and North Africa	Egypt interview experiences?	Oy the Egyptian embassy. How many ways can I complain about thee? I went to Egypt this past June to help DH finish up the packet to send to the embassy (and to see him, as I hadn't been to egypt in a year and a half ). We double, triple, quadruple checked to make sure we had everything. We sent it in via TNT, which is expensive for the average egyptian. Well, low and behold, a week later, his mom called us up in Cairo and said that you have a package from the embassy. Of course, we get all excited, thinking it's the interview packet. His friend makes a trip down from Mahalla to Cairo to deliver it to us. Anticipation thick, we open the package, and wahhh? It's all the paperwork we just sent in, with a note saying that they can't accept it because we didn't include a copy of his birth certificate. Now, we know we sent the birth certificate, so we shuffle through the stack of papers they sent back to us. Low and behold, what is there? The freakin birth certificate! At this point, I'm pissed. The embassy had also jipped us out of LE with the interview fee. It was suppose to be $100, but when we went to the bank, they said it was 600 LE. With the exchange rate at the time, it should have only been 520 LE. With the extra 40 le to send back the packet, it cost my husband an entire week's salery. Yeah, so as I said, I was pissed. I went to the nearest internet office and penned off an increadibly rude email to the embassy staff, asking who was going to pay for us to send the packet back, since they sent it back to us in error. As soon as I sent it, I realized I should have waited until I calmed down, but ah well. So, they have a two day turn around time on answering emails, and what do we get back? An email stating that they never sent our packet back to us, we must be mistaken. So, at this point, my head is going to explode. We send back the packet with a letter stating that everything IS included, and that they better check 10 times before sending it back to us again. I go home, no interview date. So, they email my husband a few days after I leave, telling him he has an interview in one week. He's confused, because he doesn't receive a letter in the mail, nor his his number on the website. He goes to the embassy on July 7th. He's wearing a nice suit, got a hair cut, carrying a brief case, looking very nice overall. But, at the gate they say, you have no interview. Go away. ARgggggggg Evidentitly, they forgot that they had scheduled him a rush interview via email. So, he waits an hour, and the interviewer comes in. He hasn't looked at the file, doesn't bother to open it, just asks my husband a few questions. He then sends him away, and we're in AR for a month and a half. We received the visa on August 18th, DH got here October 3 and we were officially married October 14th. That's my egyptian embassy story. I pray to God that I never have to deal with them every again. Edited by rahma, 03 February 2006 - 09:40 AM.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2006-02-03 09:37:00
Middle East and North Africa	Just starting the process	Welcome! Have you been to egypt before? If not, dial back on the immigration stuff and just focus on spending time with your SO. Take lots of pictures, meet his family and have a good time. Heck, even if you have met him before, don't get too freaked out yet. The process may seem intimidating, but it isn't really that bad. Yes you could use a lawyer. Most people here don't, but if after you've read the guides, you still think it's too much, it won't hurt anything but your wallet. Also don't read too far back into the Cairo stories. Cairo has changed a lot over the years, especially in terms the ability to get married in egypt. There were problems people encountered in the past that aren't as prevelant now adays. It certainly isn't as bad as the horridly long waits after the interview of a few years back. Just be prepared for it to take awhile, and take each day as it comes. Freaking out doesn't bring you anything but stress and high blood pressure.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-11-20 09:40:00
Middle East and North Africa	Coming to America!	I dropped my sister off at the airport yesterday and was hit with a major dose of nostalgia. I waited down in the baggage claims area for one of her friends to come visit with her before her flight. We sat in front of the starbucks where I drank way too much caffine 4 years ago, waiting for AbuS to arrive I got to the airport 3 hours early (I'm a freak like that - I get there that early for my own flights too), and spent the whole time pacing the length of the baggage claim, gulping lattes and mochas. Then finally, he was there, coming down the escalator. He hadn't slept in 30 hours, so his reaction to the whole experience was meh, I need to sleep. He's been here 4 years, and it's still a matter of patience and slow adjustment. He has a healthy dose of respect for many things here (thinks our political system, for all it's flaws, is pretty darn snazzy), and finds other things beyond strange (particularly our work environments, not at all what he expected after studying american accounting/business back in Egypt). Take things slow, don't rush and make sure you're patient. It can take years to adjust.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-11-30 14:53:00
Middle East and North Africa	Happy Squeaky Day!	Yaay, Squeaky day! I didn't realize that the pic looked so, um, off, at that size, so here's one where she looks much cuter. My current wallpaper at work : And with her squeaky day present, a fluffy fleece blanket:	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-12-07 17:18:00
Middle East and North Africa	Happy Squeaky Day!	Break out the little dancing dudes and the loving kitties, it's Squeaky Day On this very day last year, AbuS and I braved a snow storm and drove (very slowly) to size up a big fat cat named Mitze that I had met the day before. It was love at first sight for me, and a, meh, she'll do from AbuS. She protested mightily when we put her in the car and the whole way home, but as soon as she stepped foot into our apartment, she knew she was home, and she was the Queen. The adjustment was rocky at first, and she meowed at our bedroom door at 3 am for the entire month of February, but alhamdulilah she settled in and has been the apple of our eyes ever since. She is my big fat kitty and AbuS' katkoot amour (cute chick). So happy Squeaky day my love and inshaAllah many more	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-12-07 15:13:00
Middle East and North Africa	Food Substitutes	QUOTE (Staashi @ Dec 7 2009, 02:20 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Aidell's sausage company makes great chicken sausages...I forget what animal though they use for casings. Ah yeah, always check that. If one doesn't eat zabiha (meat slaughtered in the islamic manner), be extra sure to check it out. A lot of turkey and chicken sausages are still cased in pork.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-12-07 17:19:00
Middle East and North Africa	Food Substitutes	I just picked up some Trader Joe's vegan soy chorizo this weekend from the one off 35E. I think it was $2. I haven't ever had "real" chorizo, so I don't know how authentic it is, but people who've had both say that the soy version is a pretty good substitute. AbuS couldn't believe it wasn't real meat. Another option is to just make your own using a mixture of ground turkey and beef. There are a bunch of recipes on the internet. I was planning on trying this one (with beef and turkey) out and running a taste comparison of this and the soy one for one of my latina friends who knows authentic mexican cuisine. Edited by UmmSqueakster, 07 December 2009 - 03:07 PM.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-12-07 15:07:00
Middle East and North Africa	ME/NA Wedding dress Thread	All righty then. Since I am not a fornicator, and my husband is not a pimp, I was not broadcasting any sins in public. Maybe my sense of humor is not to your liking, but it's not my job to make you laugh. I'm off to bed. I'll be here all week. Try the veal.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2007-02-03 22:51:00
Middle East and North Africa	ME/NA Wedding dress Thread	Actually, the first time this whole argument went down, it was a whole huge bloody mess with people being called fornicators. I merely thought I would pre-empt the whole prolonged, drawn out schpeels, cut right to the fornicating name calling and be done with it I'll admit, in szsz's madhab, I'm a fornicator. I thought I'd save you the trouble of labeling me as such	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2007-02-03 22:34:00
Middle East and North Africa	ME/NA Wedding dress Thread	Which would of course seem to imply that others do pick and choose and are Islam-lite. Okiedokie then	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2007-02-03 22:23:00